Oldsmobile Aurora
Olsmobile Tube Car The Oldsmobile Tube Car was a 1989 concept vehicle that was the basis for the eventual 1995 production Aurora. 1995-1999 After much research and development, the Aurora went into production on January 31, 1994, and was released for the 1995 model year. It hosted a number of luxury and technologically advanced standard features including dual-zone climate control, leather seating surfaces, burl walnut interior accents, and power adjustable front seats with 2-position memory. An onboard computer displaying the date, current gas consumption, and other information was standard.The Aurora also came standard with Oldsmobile's 4.0 L L47 Aurora V8 engine, a DOHC engine based on Cadillac's 4.6 L Northstar V8. The Northstar engine and 4T-80E had been exclusive to Cadillac prior to the Aurora. The Aurora had a drag coefficient of 0.32.4 The Aurora was highly regarded at the time for its refined engine, excellent build quality, well-balanced ride, and structural integrity. In fact, during normal crush-to-failure tests done by automakers to evaluate body rigidity, the Aurora's unibody construction actually broke GM's testing machine. A frame-crusher otherwise used to test stronger truck frames had to be used instead, with the car exceeding federal standards for passenger cars by two times. First year sales were strong, with the Aurora selling over 45,000 units, but sales dropped dramatically for 1996, as in many cases, buyers were turned away by the large price tag. All 1st generation Auroras were built in Lake Orion, Michigan, along with the Buick LeSabre, Buick Park Avenue, Buick Riviera, Oldsmobile 88, Oldsmobile 98 and the Pontiac Bonneville. Production for this generation ended on June 25, 1999. 2001-2003 Oldsmobile's original intention for the second generation was to move the Aurora further upmarket, retaining its V8-only drivetrain and sharing a platform with the new Buick Riviera, as the original Aurora had done. This would have created more room within the Oldsmobile lineup for a four-door Eighty-Eight successor known as the Antares. However, Buick dropped its Riviera development plans and fiscal trouble found Oldsmobile, so Oldsmobile was forced to re-engineer the Antares into an acceptable Aurora in short time. Still using the G-body design, the re-engineered Aurora was the result, but retaining its 4.0 V8 Northstar still mounted to a 4T80E. Upon the demise of the Oldsmobile division in mid 2004, the related Pontiac Bonneville received a V8 option as compensation for the Aurora.7 Oldsmobile also offered a V6 engine in the Aurora for the first time. The V6 in question was the LX5, a cut-down relation of the DOHC Aurora V8, dubbed the "Shortstar." The V6-powered Aurora was produced for the 2001 and 2002 model years only, with production ceasing in mid-2002.7 This Aurora, though still a competitive luxury sedan, did not attract the attention, nor sales that the original did. This can be blamed on several reasons. Most of all was that the new Aurora, as well as the new 2002 Bravada, was overshadowed by GM's announcement in December 2000 that the Oldsmobile marque was to be phased out over the next several years. Though still retaining its unique styling, now shared design cues from other Oldsmobiles, as well many parts in common with other GM vehicles. This took away the "separateness" from other Oldsmobiles that the original had. It should also be noted, that the 2nd generation Aurora was over six inches shorter than was the 1st generation. Automobile magazine wrote that "The Aurora's new look is not quite as sensuous or elegant as that of the outgoing model,"8 but the Auto Channel review said, "it was better in every respect."7 The second generation Aurora went into production on November 10, 1999, and went on sale in February 2000.8 The last V6-powered Auroras rolled off the assembly line on June 21, 2002. The Final 500 Auroras ended production on March 28, 2003. These were all a special burgundy color (called "Dark Cherry Metallic"), had special chrome wheels, and Final 500 badging. The Orion, Michigan plant built a total of 71,722 second-generation Aurorasneeded (53,640 in 2001, 10,865 in 2002, 7,217 in 2003). The closest successors to the Aurora are the Buick Lucerne (introduced as a 2006 model) and the Cadillac STS, both of which retain different versions of the Northstar V8.